EU Commission closes investigation into Brussels Airlines/TAP codeshare agreement

31 October, 2018

European Commission (EC) closed (30-Oct-2018) an antitrust investigation into a codeshare agreement between Brussels Airlines and TAP Air Portugal relating to the Brussels-Lisbon route. EC adopted a statement of objections against the carriers on 27-Oct-2016, raising preliminary concerns codesharing cooperation on Brussels-Lisbon services may have restricted competition between them. The Commission concluded evidence collected was insufficient to confirm initial concerns, noting however the closure decision does not necessarily indicate close forms of cooperation between competing airlines will not raise future competition concerns. [more - original PR]